


A Second Chance, a Second Too Late

by ZaccRiseC3P



Series: BOMZ Away [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Just be careful when reading and let me know if it needs better warnings!, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, There's mention of an explosion and some major injuries, Trauma, i'm not sure, not sure I would describe it as "graphic" though?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:53:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29179032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZaccRiseC3P/pseuds/ZaccRiseC3P
Summary: Team BOMZ thought they were just going on a routine huntsman mission.  A visit to a small town that needed some protection from the Grimm that were attracted to the area after a prominent resident had passed away, causing the whole town to be cloaked in a shadow of grief.  It was a common enough occurrence.  Kill a few Beowulfs and be back in time for dinner, right?Wrong.
Relationships: Friendship - Relationship, Team BOMZ, siblings - Relationship
Series: BOMZ Away [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2142186
Kudos: 4





	A Second Chance, a Second Too Late

**Author's Note:**

> So a few of us on the Oscar Pine Protection Squad discord server have been going absolutely insane with these OC teams we made. I got this idea for some angst for my team, Team BOMZ, and it lives in my head _rent free_. So I thought I'd share!

It happened again. Jade can’t fucking _believe_ it happened again.

_Carter, look out!_

The deafening blast, the burning fire, the force that slammed her against the wall.

_John… John, get up. Please!_

Jade’s hands were visibly shaking, getting clammy. She couldn’t stop herself from nervously picking at them.

The only survivor. The pain in her arm. Instinctually, her right hand drifted to her left arm. She rubbed it up and down, hoping the pain wouldn’t resurface. Wishful thinking. It went stiff, shaking like a leaf and flaring in pain.

 _Don’t react,_ Jade warned herself. _Don’t show it. They can’t know. They can’t know it happened again… again… it happened._

“Hey, Jay.”

A voice derailed Jade’s train of thought. She looked to her left to see her teammate staring at her, concern glistening in the older girl’s eye.

“Are you ok?” Bird asked.

“Yeah, yeah, Birdie, I’m fine,” Jade lied.

“I can’t lose you right now, too. Ochre is… well…”

“Yeah…”

Jade leaned forward and glanced at her other teammate, Ochre, who was sitting to Bird’s left. They were staring at the floor, not moving a muscle. Solid as a statue, as if they were stuck in a trance they couldn’t escape. Probably more like a nightmare.

Noticeably, the team of four only had three members sitting in the lobby of a hospital on the east side of Vale. Their fourth… well, their fourth was the reason they were sitting there in the first place.

Team BOMZ thought they were just going on a routine huntsman mission. A visit to a small town that needed some protection from the Grimm that were attracted to the area after a prominent resident had passed away, causing the whole town to be cloaked in a shadow of grief. It was a common enough occurrence. Kill a few Beowulfs and be back in time for dinner, right?

Wrong.

Everything was going exactly according to plan at first. That is, until Mellow decided to try and clear the place out with one misplaced bomb. They were way closer to the blast than they thought, and they paid the price. You could say it cost them an arm and a leg- or, two legs, for that matter.

Jade really thought that seeing her former team burnt, bruised, bloodied, lying on the ground, motionless, was the worst trauma she would have to endure. Couldn’t get much worse than that, right? But seeing Mellow on the ground without… oh gods.

_The blood… there was so much._

Jade suddenly stood up, desperate to change the topic in her head. She walked over and took the empty seat to Ochre’s left. They needed the attention more than Jade did, anyway. After all, Mellow was their twin. Attached at the hip, those two were. Growing up, staying together through thick and thin. And yet, now Ochre sat, idle in this godforsaken hospital lobby, waiting for a doctor to tell them whether or not they would ever be able to talk to their sibling again.

Cautiously, Jade wrapped an arm around Ochre, but she stayed silent. What was she supposed to say? “Are you ok?” Uh. Of fucking course they weren’t okay. Ochre’s tears suddenly weren’t falling anymore but it wasn’t because they were done crying. It was absolutely because they had no more tears to cry.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Jade tried to release the tension in her shoulders and steady her own breathing. For a moment, the trio sat frozen, no one daring to move, as if one twitch would trigger an emotional reaction.

Out of the stillness of the air, Jade heard Ochre whisper through a rasp, “This is all my fault.”

_“It wasn’t an accident,” Jade had insisted. “I’m sure of it.”_

“Ochre, you can’t say that. It was an accident, plain and simple,” Jade heard herself say, but it felt like someone else was controlling her actions.

_“Now what makes you say that?” came the response._

“I should have been paying attention,” Ochre choked. “I could have protected them!”

_“We were getting close. Too close for their liking. They targeted us to bury what we had uncovered.”_

“You can’t put that much pressure on yourself, Oak. You’re not your sibling’s keeper.”

_“That’s a very bold claim, Ms. Korwin.”_

_“But you don’t think it’s an impossible one.”_

_“Did I say that?”_

_“You didn’t have to.”_

“Cinnamon?” A voice suddenly announced. Ochre’s head shot up at the sound. “Is there anyone here for Mellow Cinnamon?” It was a nurse asking for visitors.

Ochre popped up out of their seat immediately, “We are!”

“You can see him now,” the nurse said politely, but it made Jade flinch.

“They!” Ochre corrected instinctually.

The nurse shook her head, “I’m sorry?”

“The- they’re my sibling…” Ochre added shyly, “and they use ‘they/them,’ not he.”

“Of course. My apologies,” the nurse said offering an apologetic smile. “Right this way.”

As the nurse led them through the winding corridors of the hospital, it brought back to the surface Jade’s hatred for the establishments. Yes, they were necessary to keep people healthy and taken care of but by the gods, did they have to be so… sterile? So blank and empty. Like if someone were to turn off the lights it would suddenly become the setting of a horror movie. Jade hated hospitals before and, now, after the incident? Well, they still sucked. It’s really hard to make hospitals feel worse.

_“Honestly, your past doesn’t really concern me, Ms. Korwin. I only have one question for you: are you ready to be a huntress again?”_

_Jade didn’t need to think about her answer. “Absolutely.”_

Finally, after endless turns and hallways and heavy doors, they were led into a room where Mellow was laying in a hospital bed, their legs completely covered by the blankets. Selfishly, Jade was grateful. She knew she couldn’t bring herself to look at them otherwise, honestly.

“Mellow!” Ochre exclaimed.

They immediately ran over and wrapped their sibling in a hug.

“Ochre!” Mellow repeated the sentiment.

As Jade stepped into the room, she offered a weak smile. “Hey, Mell.” She pulled up a chair and next to them, but not before giving them a quick hug. Bird did the same and took a seat next to Jade.

“How- uh- how are you doing?” Bird asked hesitantly.

“Well… I’m alive,” Mellow managed to laugh.

“Glad we’re setting the bar high,” Jade said weakly.

A tight-lipped smile and a nod was the only response. 

For a minute, the room fell silent. Ochre was now sitting on the bed, holding their twin like they were afraid they would magically disappear any second. The silence was lifted when Ochre finally managed to ask, “How did the procedure go?”

Mellow sighed, staring blankly at the bed as they answered, “It went alright. The doctors were able to stop the bleeding and bandage me up. It’s just…” their voice faded as their hand started rubbing the area of the bed where their legs would’ve been “... weird,” they finished after a second.

“Hey, you know what?” Jade spoke up, trying to lift the mood. “I know some good people in Atlas who could get you some kickass prosthetics. Maybe even with a few extra bells and whistles for you.”

Mellow smiles weakly, not an ounce of excitement could be detected as they nodded, “Thanks, Jay.”

It was too much to expect that Mellow would be their usual, bubbly, energetic self in a situation like this. And yet, the fact that they were sitting in front of her right now was more than enough for Jade.

The last time something this traumatic happened, Jade had to change her name, move kingdoms, and change schools. She lost her friends, her sense of security, for a while she thought she even lost her damn mind. 

But this time was different, right? 

Her team was still together, no one had lost their life. The recovery process, both mentally and physically, would be rough for Mellow and everyone, but there was still a silver lining.

If the incident had never happened, Jade never would have found BOM or switched schools. She never would have escaped the crushing, strict culture of Atlas. She could still remember that initial conversation with her new headmaster, clear as day…

_“Then welcome to Beacon Academy, Ms..._ Zacharia _.”_

_“Thank you. Professor Ozpin.”_

**Author's Note:**

> Team BOMZ is made up of...  
> Bird Barleycorn - @immortal-green-snom on tumblr  
> Ochre Cinnamon - @otterdoesart on tumblr  
> Mellow Cinnamon - @bowl-of-shortness on tumblr  
> Jade Zacharia - @zacs-of-rwby on tumblr (me!)
> 
> You can also check out @adventures-of-the-opps-teams to stay updated on the shenanigans of the teams! XD


End file.
